Chuck Carree - Hardee 'loved life and just made things fun'

Wednesday

Jul 3, 2013 at 4:56 PM

Brack Hardee, son of the legendary Buck Hardee, was destined for a life in sports.

By Chuck CarreeChuck.Carree@StarNewsOnline.com

Mourners gathered Tuesday at Pine Valley United Methodist Church in Wilmington to celebrate the life of Brack Hardee, who died Saturday after a nearly 2½-year battle with brain cancer.The service took place on what would have been his 44th birthday.When I accepted a job with the newspaper in 1978, Hardee was an 8-year-old who appeared in a StarNews photo with a bicycle he won for a poster he submitted during National Children's Dental Health Week.As a 9-year-old, he again appeared in a newspaper photo, providing water and towels as a ball boy for the New Hanover High School football team.As a 10-year-old, he made the paper as a batboy for the Wildcats' baseball team for which his father, the legendary Buck Hardee, coached.Brack Hardee was destined for a life in sports, especially baseball, first as a high school and college catcher and later as a coach as well as camp director and dean of students at Elev8 Sports Institute in Delray Beach, Fla."Brack was his own person,'' said Scott Sandlin, who played catcher for Buck from 1982-84 and worked on coaching staffs with Brack. "He loved life and just made things fun on the field.''Sandlin said Hardee possessed many of Buck's and uncle Bill Hardee's traits. Bill Hardee also is a former coach.Brack Hardee developed his own personality and style."What Brack did in baseball just kind of transferred over into life,'' Sandlin said. "He had a lot of fun, a lot of patience.''However, he will forever be linked to Buck, whom he once described as his best friend. When Brack was growing up, he and his father were often inseparable.Sandlin called Brack Hardee the ambassador of Wildcats baseball and recounted a story that captured the essence of Brack.It was 1984 and Hardee was in the eighth grade when the Wildcats visited Charlotte Independence in a best-of-three series for the state 4A championship. I covered the series, yet remember little other than it was Buck's final shot at the state title that had eluded him during an illustrious career. Independence won the third and decisive game 5-0.Hardee, whom Sandlin remembers as seemingly mature beyond his years, sat in the dugout and was a sounding board for the players."When we lost the series, Brack went around consoling all the players,'' Sandlin said. "He went around saying, ‘You gave it your all.' We told him we wanted to win this so bad for his dad. He was like, ‘He just wanted it for you guys; he's fine.' That picked us up a little bit."We looked in the corner of the dugout and Brack is over there crying. So we had to go and console him. That was Brack. He was bigger than life.''Hardee's life revolved around baseball, family and friends. Ten years ago, he married his soul mate, Sarah Morris, at the church where his service was held Tuesday."For the last few days, I have had a hard time wrapping myself around what happened to him,'' Sandlin said. "I have been thinking of his family and what they are going through. It is a tough time for baseball in Wilmington.''The Hardees are sort of the first family of baseball in the Port City. The Wilmington Sharks, New Hanover or Wilmington Post 10 play home baseball games at Buck Hardee Field at the Legion Stadium Complex.Flip through the UNCW baseball media guide and you will see where Brack Hardee lettered as a player.Look at old photos and Hardee was often attired in baseball gear."He is a big part of all the success we had at Hanover and Post 10 over the years,'' Sandlin said. "He had his dad's core baseball knowledge and yet he had some riverboat gambler in him.''As for me, I saw Brack Hardee grow up, yet it felt unnatural attending his memorial service.

This is Chuck Carree's final column. He is retiring Saturday after 35 years.